Ashley Poston

"The Prince and the Pauper" gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming novel from the acclaimed author of "Geekerella."

The Princess and the Fangirl

julia 

strasznie irytowała mnie Imogen ale rozdziały z Jess były super

in the end, i am not a princess waiting to be saved. i will do my own saving. <3

two stars for jessharper. that’s just me being generous and gay 

emily

Absolutely fun and whimsical, a real palate cleanser of a book. The comedy-of-errors in the gender-bent Prince and the Pauper plot line are so cute, and any attendee of DragonCon will be charmed by the many homages.

That said, avoid this book if you don’t like pop culture references, because I don’t think a single sentence occurs without one (I understood maybe half of them?). Be forewarned that the HP references are plentiful.

Liz Griffin

Absolutely fun and whimsical, a real palate cleanser of a book. The comedy-of-errors in the gender-bent Prince and the Pauper plot line are so cute, and any attendee of DragonCon will be charmed by the many homages.

That said, avoid this book if you don’t like pop culture references, because I don’t think a single sentence occurs without one (I understood maybe half of them?). Be forewarned that the HP references are plentiful.

cute. reading geekerella was definitely a step in the right direction as i would be very confused have i not done that.

Steph L 

A love letter to fandoms and cons

If you have read Geekerlla you will love this companion novel. If you have not, you still would. You don’t have to read both, but there is crossover with some of the characters. This is a delightfully fun novel about finding yourself and finding something to fight for. Within the novel is a love of fandoms and cons, and I loved that.

The Prince and the Pauper gets a Geekerella-style makeover in this witty and heartfelt novel for those who believe in the magic of fandom. Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: to save her favorite Starfield character, Princess Amara, from being killed off. On the other hand, the actress who plays Amara wouldn't mind being axed. Jessica Stone doesn't even like being part of the Starfield franchise--and she's desperate to leave the intense scrutiny of fandom behind. Though Imogen and Jess have nothing in common, they do look strangely similar to one another--and a case of mistaken identity at ExcelsiCon sets off a chain of events that will change both of their lives. When the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, with all signs pointing to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. The deal: Imogen will play Jess at her signings and panels, and Jess will help Imogen's best friend run their booth. But as these "princesses" race to find the script leaker--in each other's shoes--they're up against more than they bargained for. From the darker side of fandom to unexpected crushes, Imogen and Jess must find a way to rescue themselves from their own expectations...and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.

mighty dragon 

THAT WAS INCREDIBLE.

While Geekerella really felt like a fairytale, this one is a bit more real. A bit more relatable. I can relate to Imogen a lot here. I love both of hers and Jess' characterizations, I love their insecurities. (Not that it's important but: I keep playing Free, yup that very soundtrack of Barbie The Princess and The Pauper, inside my head while reading this and it fits really well.)

I would like to thank Ashley Poston for writing this story. Thank you for making me feel validated as a fangirl. All these Once Upon a Con (haven't read the third book yet but I'm on my way!) stories means a lot to me, so thank you. Thank you so much.

The Prince and the Pauper gets a Geekerella-style makeover in this witty and heartfelt novel for those who believe in the magic of fandom—now with an excerpt from Ashley Poston’s latest, Bookish and the Beast. Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: to save her favorite Starfield character, Princess Amara, from being killed off. On the other hand, the actress who plays Amara wouldn’t mind being axed. Jessica Stone doesn’t even like being part of the Starfield franchise—and she’s desperate to leave the intense scrutiny of fandom behind. Though Imogen and Jess have nothing in common, they do look strangely similar to one another—and a case of mistaken identity at ExcelsiCon sets off a chain of events that will change both of their lives. When the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, with all signs pointing to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. The deal: Imogen will play Jess at her signings and panels, and Jess will help Imogen’s best friend run their booth. But as these “princesses” race to find the script leaker—in each other’s shoes—they’re up against more than they bargained for. From the darker side of fandom to unexpected crushes, Imogen and Jess must find a way to rescue themselves from their own expectations...and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.

Vilde

Flavia Louise

This was very enjoyable and had some nice realtionships.

Lincy

Courtney ✿ @librarycutie

this was so good!! i loved getting more of the geekerella story and at first i didn’t think i would like jess, but i loved it. i love how this ended and was smiling so much because ahhh cute!!! i can’t get over how many of the nerdy culture references there was and how i really relates to this series, i hope there’s more! this series, geekerella and the characters associated, are starting to mean a lot to me.

Wynne Aretae

another stunning book in this series. i didn't like it as much as the first book, the characters leaned more on the annoying side in my opinion, but it was still really good.

Tânia Borges

Not bad if you're looking for a light-hearted, fun and quick read.

Patti Reinheimer

I am totally charmed! Loved this book even more than Geekerella.

Jessica Williamson

4.25 Stars

I'm not sure what I rated Geekerella, (I just looked it was 3.5) but I know what I liked about it. I didn't love the beginning but I loved the convention part of the book. 

This book? It took place, cover to cover, at Excelsicon and I could not be happier! This book was fantastic. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. This book was everything I loved from the first and so much more.

The characters were lovely and fun and just a joy to read.

The part of this book that really got me is the exploration of fandom and what it means to be a fan. How much these worlds mean to us. How much the characters can mean. How much it can all inspire us to be a better version of ourselves.

And this one took it a step even further. In Princess and the Fangirl, we exploree what it means to be Jessica Stone and all of those girls in our real life world who play women in Sci-fi/Fantasy movies. The scrutiny they endure, the fanboys (and girls) releasing their putrid spewing online of how that girl isn't ENOUGH to play a character they think they deserve. All without thinking about the real girl behind that character. 

The topics in this book brought me back to the first time I read 'Wishful Drinking' by Carrie Fisher and how utterly disgusted I felt hearing about how she had been treated as a young actress playing Princess Leia.

I think Ashley did an amazing job of portraying the issues in the Sci-Fi/fantasy fandoms right now, as well as highlighting everything in them that can go absolutely right.

I just loved this dang book. The plot was a little, meh, but it was a fun read that I really enjoyed. 

Cover 4; Characters 4; Pace 4; Plot 3; Writing 4; Enjoyment 5; Cry 1.

Heather Heaton

3.5/ 5 stars
I won this book in a giveaway here on Goodreads, but that doesn't affect my opinions in this review. 

Parent trap meets the scifi world
Imogen has grown up in the halls of Exceliscon each year she comes back with her moms who sell figurines from popular scifi shows and movies. This year she is coming with her own booth to save Princess Amara, her favorite character, who sacrificed herself in the movie Starfield. Jessica, the actress who plays Princess Amara, will also be at the convention for panels and publicity. Jessica and Imogen look uncannily alike and they both have ulterior motives to wanting to live the other's life. 

I loved all the fun scifi references built into the story especially Star Wars for me. Ultimately, this story was lighthearted, fun and entertaining and in the end it left me feeling fulfilled and happy as well as had a good message. The girls' learned about each other's lives outside of their preconceived notions about each other. There was great LGBTQ rep with several couples throughout the book and it was just a normal piece of society, not something that had to be called out as different. I would recommend this book to a young adult who is searching for their identity. I think there are some great values to be learned and points that are thought provoking for a young mind.

laura

I really adored this book. I love the small cameos we got to the previous book in this series. I also really enjoyed Ashley twist on the the prince and pauper myth. I really had a hard time putting this book down. I loved the duel female POV and also how the book featured two very different romances pairings. I really enjoyed how this book tackled different parts of fandom life especially how women as actress are treated in the media. I really flew though this book and found it to such a prefect read. This book was the right book to life my heart and just remind me why I love cons so much!

Kath Lau

I read Geekerella in 2017 and I really loved it so The Princess and the Fangirl immediately became my most anticipated releases this year. I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to but it was still an enjoyable read. Check out my full review HERE.

Ruth Parker 

This was cute but I think I might now be too old for this kind of fan fiction style book. It was cute but predictable.

Erin Pitstra

This was really cute! And very fast for me to read!

Lonneke

This took so long even though I really liked it! It wasn’t as good as Geekerella, but still a nice read.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from Quirk Books and Netgalley! I got an e-arc from Netgalley and the physical from Quirk Books! Thank you guys so so much! All opinions are my own.

Book Series: Once Upon a Con #2

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: April 2, 2019

Genre: YA Retelling/Contemporary Romance

Recommended Age: 13+ (slightly mature romance scenes, slight sexual assault, sexual harassment, some language, and a naked cat)

Publisher: Quirk Books

Pages: 320

Amazon Link

Synopsis: The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year's ExcelsiCon isn't her last, she'll consider her career derailed.

When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That's easier said than done when the girls step into each other's shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these "princesses" race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after. 

Review: Holy cow Batman! How can I sum up how much I loved this side story/sequel to Geekerella? I loved it so freaking much. The story was well thought out and I loved how it was a Prince and the Pauper retelling. The writing was incredible, Ashley Poston is a force to be reckoned with, so watch out SJM! The characters were well developed and this book just made my little geek heart happy. I also loved how Poston drove home the injustice of fan-people when it comes any strong female character. It’s hard to be a female in the fandom world and I’ve read more than a dozen comments discussing the actress’ breast size and how she’d be better if she supported this male character and how the exact color of her hair does not match the characters and blah blah blah. But you remake Spiderman 40 times and no one complains (except me. I complain. Shameik Moore as Miles Morales is better than Tobey Maguire any day and don’t even get me started on how much we need a Gwen Stacey movie). I think the sexism among some of the fandoms is really sad. We can have the strong female character and the strong male character and the even stronger non-gender conforming character. We don’t need to have these archaic notions of what men can do compared to women and, in my opinion, if you choose to keep those beliefs then you won’t progress as a person in the future. The future is inclusive and we see success and strength in all, not just some.

If I had to choose a working point of this book I’d have to say that I think it’s great, but I wish that the relationships were expanded a bit more. Poston had enough material to go another 100 pages easily and I would have enjoyed them. As is the book is great, but I just want more of the couples.

Verdict: A definite must read!

Love, Love, Love, can’t wait to get my hands on the 3rd book❤️❤️

While this book was only a 4-star rating for me, not as loved as the beginning of the series, I honestly had so much fun with this one.

The Princess and the Fangirl weaved in some slightly more hard-hitting topics, such as self-deprecation, social-media bullying, sexism, and sexual assault. But in saying that, it wasn't any less fun and easy to fly through. In particular, I loved the exploration of self-deprecation with both of our main characters. They are two sides of the same coin, with one feeling invisible and the other feeling constantly ridiculed and judged.

Oh and I ADORED Imogen's brother and his boyfriend. I really wish they had more of a role in the story and am hoping they feature in a future book in the series.

The Princess and the Fangirl

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